Accessibility Plan

Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities

Oncidium is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner, and will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

This 2014-21 accessibility plan outlines the policies and actions that will put in place to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

Accessible Emergency Information

Oncidium is committed to providing the customers and clients with publicly available emergency information in an accessible way upon request. We will also provide employees with disabilities with individualized emergency response information when necessary.

Training

Oncidium currently provides training to employees, volunteers and others who deal with the public or other third parties on our behalf.

The training includes:

• An overview of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the requirements of the customer service standard

• Oncidium’s plan related to the customer service standard.

• How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities

• How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person

• How to use the equipment or devices, e.g. TTY, wheelchair lifts, etc., available on-site

• What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing Oncidium’s goods and services

A record of training has been implemented to ensure that all employees has been trained. Acknowledgement & agreement forms with tests have been kept into the employees’ Human Resources files. This training is included in the Oncidium Orientation Program for newly on boarded employees.

Staff will also be trained when changes are made to your accessible customer service plan.

Information and communications

Oncidium is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We will consult with people with disabilities to determine their information and communication needs.

Oncidium’s website has been reviewed in accordance to the guidelines set out in WCAG 2.0, Level A.

Oncidium will take the following steps to make sure all publicly available information is made accessible upon request by January 1, 2016.

• Newsletters

• Emails

• Memos

• Website – www.oncidiun.ca

• Bulletin boards

• Staff meetings

• One-on-one conversations

Oncidium will implement a work plan starting in 2015 in order to be fully compliant with WCAG 2.0, Level AA by January 1, 2021.

Employment

Oncidium is committed to fair and accessible employment practices.

Oncidium will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes and when people are hired. We will let applicants know that we will accommodate disabilities during the selection process:

• Oncidium will post the information in the website oncidium.ca and include it in the job posting

• If an applicant request accommodation, Oncidium will consult with them and makes adjustments that best suits their needs. For example, if a job applicant who is Deaf asks for accommodation for a telephone interview, Oncidium could offer to conduct the interview via email.

• Oncidium will notify successful applicants of the policies for accommodating employees with disabilities via offer letter, in a separate email or phone call.

Oncidium will take the following steps to develop and put in place a process for developing individual accommodation plans and return-to-work policies for employees that have been absent due to a disability.

• Involve employees in the development of their plans

• Assess the accommodation needs of our employees

• Protect the privacy of our employees’ personal information

• Tell employees why we would deny a request for an accommodation plan

• Provide plans in accessible formats

• Review and update the plans with our employees

We will take the following steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account if Oncidium is using performance management, career development and redeployment processes.

• Provide the employees with learning and development opportunities, and will give the employees more responsibilities within their current positions

• Review employees’ accommodation plans to understand their needs and see whether we need to make adjustments to help them succeed

• Make performance management documents, such as performance plans, available in accessible formats, such as large print

• Provide feedback and coach the employees in a way that is accessible to them, such as using plain language for an employee who has a learning disability

Design of Public Spaces

Oncidium will meet the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces when building or making major modifications to public spaces. Public spaces include: